This probably counts as wild abandon -- but situationally, this isn't really any more ridiculous than if I were to dress like Pingson, and less ridiculous than if I were to dress like Rudals (not that I wouldn't try and rock that kind of thing if I were 'bout that life, but I ain't).

Gray flannel DB, blue end-on-end shirt, ascot, pocket square, tan brogued bals. Aiming for a kind of mannered disreputability, I guess. Sort of the guy you think committed the murder for like two chapters at the start of the second act in a mystery novel, who refuses to give an alibi because it would be personally compromising.

This might be superfluous, but for someone that is really trying to nail down a look, do you think that a mannequin would be a good idea.

Or is that off the deep end even for THIS crowd?

(though it would also be fun. I think Holdfast has one. And we all know that he's sane...ish.)

Deep end, definitely!!

I do have a tailor's dummy, yes, but bought it when I was reselling stuff and needed a nice way to display things. If you want to experiment with different combos, it's MUCH much easier just to lay them out on the bed and mix/match rather than putting them onto a mannequin/dummy. It actually takes a bit of time to dress a dummy nicely, pinning everything and making sure tie & square look right.

Originally Posted by mktitsworth

Originally Posted by GMMcL

Your comment to Rudals intrigues me. Usually I set out to combine pieces I like in a way that pleases me -- which includes color and textural mix, and of course fit. I would never have thought of describing that as trying to "achieve" something. Do you (or HF) care to elaborate on what's meant?

I think number 4 in my post to Rudals provides a couple of examples. I tend to be rather visual with the concepts I'm trying to communicate while in retrospect I think that HoldFast's original comment to me was perhaps meant to be a bit more figurative. I'm sure Manton will eviscerate me for saying this, but I (at least at this moment) I think CBD could be phrased in this way. There, you want to achieve a sort of restrainted elegance that evokes the professionalism without calling attention to itself at all. Like a well tidied desk - everything in its place and proportion - where the subtleties and details are the secret handshake of the initiated.

An easy example that clothes are used for is status. Others are power, knowledge, cheek... Personally, I like trying to use clothes as a way to diffuse aggression. Being weird and slightly off - but still acceptable, because that's the kind of person I am. The kind of thing that eventually fades back away, but lingers. Something that leaves people with a positive impression but is not totally pinned down. A glance out of the corner of an eye and a smirk that you're not sure what it means. Mischievous with a little bit of playful anarchy is probably also a good way to put it.

I'm not saying I've mastered it or that it always works, but it's the direction I'm trying to head.

Yup: decide what vibe - or archetype, to be a little more jargony - you want to project and dress accordingly. Clothes are costume, always, it's just that some types of costumes are worn so frequently that they become your style. Or you might prefer a greater variety of looks. Whatever. I once did a Friday challenge theme where the idea was to pick something from nature to inspire a particular outfit; that's a narrow, more concrete/literal interpretation of the same idea, but easier to implement at first, I think. Crusty once wanted to do an inspired-by-a-work-of-art theme; that would another idea in the same vein.

For another example, my outfit from earlier today was inspired directly by the setting I knew I'd find myself in today. I had to do some work at a Court this morning. Knowing that, I thought it might be fun to dress like a smart solicitor. So a dark solid suit and generally conservative style, but also with that brash sartorial touch some of the better-dressed solicitors have. I must have got it right, because one of the solicitors there was wearing almost exactly the same outfit. It was quite funny really. So yeah, playing around with archetypes is fun.

You know for some odd reason, Hoegaarden reminds me of Korea...because I didn't know about it until I got to Korea and it's pretty popular over there. Now that's all I drink...if I do drink. I can't drink anymore though...